The Rules of Happiness
by theschizokid
Summary: She was happy. Till she met him. For now, rated K. But I probably won't change it. Sasuke X Hinata, Naruto X Hinata, Naruto X Sakura... Yep, minimal fluff. R&R please!
1. Prologue

Prologue

"You're so beautiful," he murmurs, his bare arms flexing as she shifted in his embrace. The silk duvet slips on his smooth back, the muscles on his abdomen rippling with every movement.

She doesn't answer, only sighing pleasurably when his lips descend on her neck. As she feels his warm breath on her skin she shudders, her hands hanging onto his broad shoulders. "But that's not why I love you," he adds, recoiling from her neck and directly looking at the woman below him.

The shinobi plants a kiss on her soft, delicate lips, and she smiles at him. His hands move from her perfectly sculpted face to the sides of her warm body, exposed save for the dark shadow that he casts on her. "I'm pretty sure you know..." he smirks unknowingly ― it has been a habit of his since forever.

His dark onyx eyes gaze into the pure whiteness of hers, and he silently wonders how two people as different as they manage to love each other. The silvery moonlight permeates through the open French doors, making her face gleam with sacred life. "That the reason I love you..."

Her hands also roam toward his chest, eliciting a small gasp from him. She forces her torso upwards and kisses his lips briefly, falling back onto the bed after doing so. At this the man cracks another pensive smile.

The wedding ring she is wearing reflects the wonderful moonlight and shines, and he dips his head once again so that his face is a mere inch from hers. One of his big, capable hands caresses her pearl cheek, marveling at how perfect she is. The other hand lies below her back, feeling every vertebra. "Is you," he says as he shifts his body.

"Just you," he emphasizes, pulling her into a longer, more passionate kiss, and allowing her to lose herself in their love.


	2. Chapter 1

Rule #1: Happiness starts with unhappiness.

Armed with a warm, inviting smile and a gracious heart, Hinata greeted her students with an energetic hello. At 22 years of age she'd finally fully emerged from her shell, and now the Hinata everyone knew was still gentle, still peace loving, but not too afraid to voice her opinions and thoughts.

She was also an assistant teacher with the Academy, having attained Jounin status just a few months ago. At her initiation ceremony her father seemed to be proud of her, regardless of the fact Hanabi had already gotten her Chuunin flak jacket at 14 and had been wearing it for 3 years. Never mind; the fact that Hiashi had maintained a serene, contented smile throughout the event was enough for Hinata. _More than enough_.

As she looked into the enthusiastic eyes of her students, and her former teacher standing at the back while giving her encouraging smiles, nostalgia hit Hinata. She wondered how she could have ever been that small.

The Hyuuga was about to tell her students the day's activities, but the swift opening of the classroom door interrupted her. She tilted her head to the side for a bit before the ANBU signaled for her to approach him, and she did. _Naruto had summoned her_, the ANBU told her, _and she was to report to the Hokage Tower immediately_. After the ANBU disappeared Hinata reported this to Iruka, and he told her not to worry — he'd take over.

Hinata thanked her him and rushed to Naruto; regardless of the summons, she was extremely excited to see her fiancée. The word made her pause mentally; it was two months to their wedding and Hinata could barely keep her forefingers apart in anticipation. Ever since she'd laid eyes on the blond man, she'd wanted to marry him one day. And that day was roughly two months from now. Flushed with excitement and happiness, Hinata broke into a run.

"I don't get why I have to do this," Sasuke scowled, crossing his arms while he sat cross-legged on the couch Naruto had ordered. Before him sat his best friend — still hyperactive and still quite stupid — who was scribbling away on a scroll with a brush. Naruto opened his mouth to retort to the Uchiha, but was tragically interrupted when Tsunade whacked him over the head with a rolled newspaper.

"Your handwriting's terrible! I can't even try to decipher it! What kind of future Hokage writes like this? Wars start because of poor communication, you know!" the pale blond woman screeched, and for a while Sasuke pitied Naruto. The latter rubbed the back of his pineapple head, pouting.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, "My handwriting's _always_ been terrible." Sighing, Naruto used more ink to cross the previous sentence out, and started to write again, this time more slowly and more meticulously. However his hand stopped with another swift movement of his mentor's arm.

"You're wasting ink _and_ scroll paper!" she scolded, frowning so hard it seemed the small blue diamond in her forehead would pop out. "Just use normal paper if you have to work on your handwriting first!"

Naruto could bear it no longer, and just as he was about to give Tsunade a piece of his mind, the door creaked open. Forgetting his petty anger, Naruto's blue eyes lit up as he saw his fiancée. "Hinata!" he greeted happily, relieved she had arrived. While Naruto ran toward the lady, he'd failed to see the look on Sasuke's face.

"You've got to be joking," Sasuke muttered under his breath, cursing all humanity.

"What do you need, Naruto?" Hinata asked, managing to conceal her breathlessness. With her future husband in sight, she hadn't seen Sasuke.

"I've got a favour to ask of you, Hinata," the Hokage-in-training answered, rubbing the lady's hands. The slight shade of pale pink was already there when she came, so he didn't think much of it. "I'd like you to help me babysit Sasuke for two months — he's on the 'Observation List' and after that period he'll re-join the shinobi ranks of Konoha if he doesn't cause trouble."

"Hey," the formerly defected ninja snapped, impudent at the word 'babysit'. _Nobody_ 'babysits' an Uchiha.

Hinata turned to look at Sasuke, and recalled what information she knew of him; he'd defected from Konoha after the Chuunin exams, she had to fight in the war against his side, but nearing the war's end Naruto had successfully convinced his friend back into the realm of light and life, saving him from his world of darkness. Now the most recent she'd heard was that he was residing in Konoha, but otherwise knew nothing more. She greeted him with a small bow.

Sasuke nodded back, and motioned to Naruto to continue.

"Just two months, Hinata," Naruto smiled, his face radiant. The lady was powerless against such a lethal weapon, and even if he'd asked her to look after Sasuke for two years she would have agreed. "After that we'll be married and I'll get to order Sasuke on missions!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but only Tsunade took notice of his presence anymore.

At Hinata's contented nods Naruto hugged her tightly and skipped back to his chair, where his mentor stood over it like a dark cloud. "Off you go then, Sasuke! Take care of Hinata for me, okay!" Naruto would have said so much more, but Tsunade used her newspaper once again and silenced the man, gesturing for Hinata and Sasuke's leave.

"Bye Hinata!" Naruto shouted as the door closed, "I'll see you later tonight!"

His enthusiasm and drive never failed to make her smile, so even when she and Sasuke exited the tower she was still beaming.

Still, after Hinata realised what she'd gotten herself into, the awkward silence had already settled in. "So," she started, attempting to create a conversation. "Sasuke-kun, right?"

He grunted. "Sasuke's fine."

"Okay then, Sasuke..." Hinata trailed off. She honestly could not find a topic to talk about with him.

So it appeared Sasuke himself took interest.

"You and Naruto are living together?"

Slightly taken aback by his question, Hinata blinked a few times before replying yes.

"So," he shrugged, "Have you guys, you know, _done it_?"

Hinata felt blood rush to her ears. "Well," she answered slowly, "If you really must know... No, we haven't."

Sasuke stopped walking. Hinata paused after she had gotten a few steps ahead of him. "What?" she prodded incredulously, already disturbed and flustered with the Uchiha.

"I was right," Sasuke said to himself simply, loud enough for the lady to hear. "Naruto's a loser after all."

Her face went bright orange, a sight not seen since Hiashi had cornered her and demanded to know the reason why she and Naruto wanted _so much_ to live together. A few unintelligible words and phrases spluttered from Hinata, her eyebrows twitching downwards together.

Sasuke started to laugh when he saw her visage, and began walking forward, ignoring the speechless lady babysitting him. "Yeah, he's definitely a loser," he sang as he went past her, as if his day had just brightened at her unease.

Oh, how she disliked him so.


	3. Chapter 2

Rule #2: Unhappiness is only misinterpreted happiness.

"You're disgusting," Hinata retorted, crossing her arms and sulking her way next to the Uchiha. "I don't understand how Naruto is still―"

"Hinata!" a familiar voice called out to her. The Hyuuga turned and saw her old teammates, as well as Shikamaru and Sai. They were all alone, save for each other's company, but Hinata was just happy to see them.

She smiled, forgetting her impatience with Sasuke. "Hello," she greeted pleasantly. "How're things?"

"Great," Kiba answered, shooting her a bright grin. "We just got back from a mission and we're relaxing now. Akamaru's sleeping at home." The rough Inuzuka dropped his grin as he started to think, scratching his head, "Hey, don't you have your teacher training?"

Hinata laughed halfheartedly, sighing. She stepped aside and pulled Sasuke ― who was standing quite far away ― to her friends. "I'm doing a favour for Naruto," she replied, using her hand to gesture to the irate Uchiha. The bright blue diamond on her finger shone in the sun. "I'm babysitting Sasuke for two months, till he's off probation."

Shikamaru chuckled. "So Sasuke's going to get off probation when you and Naruto finally get married?" he summarized, and Hinata nodded. "Congratulations."

Memories of when the couple announced their engagement came flooding back to her; the thousands of congratulations, the many gifts and flowers from her friends and family, the meeting with her father... Hinata felt a rush of bliss and adrenaline; how lucky could she get? "Thank you."

"You're most welcome," Sai said, a genuine congratulatory expression on his face. "Anyway we're on our way to see Naruto now to turn our report in. We'll have to catch up later. See you." With murmured goodbyes, the four men turned their heels and walked off, laughing and joking with each other.

Another blanket of silence descended on the pair, and Sasuke decided to break this when he cleared his throat. "So," he started, his hands in his pockets. "You sure seem happy."

Hinata didn't look at him. "Yes, I am happy."

"And they seem pretty content too."

She raised an eyebrow, suspicious. "If you want to know about the Konoha 11's lives now, just say so."

"Shut up," Sasuke mumbled, closing his eyes, impudent. "Just tell me," he added softly.

"Well," Hinata's white eyes seemed to light up, as if talking about her friends brought her excitement and joy. "Shikamaru's in a long distance relationship with Temari-san, Shino is dating Hana-san, Chouji is dating Shiho-san, Neji-Nii-san has been going out with Ten-Ten-chan for a while now, and so have Sai and Ino. Sakura and Lee are single, but all of us think they're going to start going out with each other soon―"

"Sakura?" Sasuke reiterated, "single?"

"Yes," Hinata assured. She stopped talking for a while, but suddenly realised, "Hey! Perhaps you and Sakura could go out with each other!"

If Sasuke had been drinking any liquids, he would have spat them out and onto the Hyuuga next to him. He laughed, "I'm sure Sakura's forgotten about me. There's no chance with her anymore."

"Hmm," Hinata thought this over. "Guess you're right. Sakura hasn't been talking much about you anymore."

"She used to talk about me?" Sasuke's interest piqued.

"Everyday," Hinata replied. "But nowadays she doesn't. Usually she's cooped up in the hospital, doing her duties."

Sasuke didn't say anything else, so Hinata went on to talk about she and Naruto. "Naruto and I are engaged. He's the Hokage-in-training now, and we're getting married in two months. I think you're invited."

Sasuke rolled his onyx eyes. "Whoop-dee-do. You're perfectly happy, aren't you?"

"More than that. I've more than I've ever wanted."

"Well," Sasuke spoke, aloof. "Apparently I've come to disrupt this bliss of yours."

Hinata shook her head. "I wouldn't say that. Naruto thinks of you as a brother."

"Excuse me," the Uchiha said sotto voce, starting in the opposite direction.

"Hey," Hinata called, starting to run after her charge. "Where are you going? I'm supposed to be watching you. If you don't get off probation..."

Sasuke stopped, turning back to look at the woman. "I'll be honest with you," he sighed, annoyed. "I'm going to the restroom, and when I get there I'm going to poof myself home. Now, unless you want me to spend your honeymoon with you and that idiot of a Hokage, I'd advise you to keep this a secret between you and me."

Before Hinata could rebut his proposal, the Uchiha jumped away.

Hinata frowned. How on earth was she to observe this man for another two months? Regardless, instinct took over as she activated her Byakugan and proceeded to chase Uchiha Sasuke throughout Konoha.

Oh, how he made her look like a fool.


	4. Chapter 3

Rule #3: Happiness is never certain.

Hinata was exhausted. Positively, entirely and without doubt — downright exhausted. It was nightfall by the time she gave up on pursuing Sasuke, and she silently thanked the Gods she never paid him much attention till now; the Hyuuga didn't think her mind could take it.

Regardless, her eyes still shone when the door clicked open and Naruto came walking in, slouching rubbing his head. His fiancée wondered how many times Tsunade had hit him in her absence — at least seven more times, she reckoned.

"Hinata!" he said gleefully, instantly running over to the chair she had inadvertently collapsed on. His minor injuries dismissed, Naruto asked Hinata how her day went.

"Terrible," she sighed, and Naruto's face fell. "Oh, but it's not like I'll stop looking out for him, Naruto," Hinata added quickly. "It's just that he doesn't seem to want this. It's like Sasuke wants to be alone."

Naruto kissed her on her forehead, making her smile. He ran his fingers through her tresses that stretched on to reach her waist, and traced a mirrored '_C_' along her jaw line. "I guess Sasuke hasn't adjusted to life in Konoha yet," Naruto suggested, "He's probably pissed with the fact I have to put him on probation, so right now he's cursing the whole world with death."

Hinata frowned, unforgiving. "He's being difficult. Like a child."

Naruto chuckled, getting up and walking toward the kitchen. Hinata paled visibly when she realised her fiancée was hungry. "Oh snap," she sighed again, "I forgot to make dinner. I'm sorry, it's just that I was caught up chasing Sasuke and then I came back so tired, then you came home and—"

Wordlessly, the Hokage-in-training gently pulled his fiancée out of the chair and into his arms. "It's fine," Naruto laughed softly to himself, "Please, just tolerate Sasuke for two months," he pleaded, his blue eyes begging. Hinata felt something in her chest melt.

"Sasuke's like a brother to me, and when we have children I'd like him to be the godfather." Hinata shuddered at the prospect of children; the redness of her ears went even deeper and for a moment she felt dizzy. "For me," Naruto beamed, his arm around her waist. "I don't trust anyone else but you to look out for him."

"O-okay then," Hinata blurted, too light-headed to think of anything but compliance. How many years had it been since she and Naruto began going out? He still had the power of god over her — _not that he severely abused it or anything_ — but Hinata thought of it as a good thing; her love for him was still as strong as ever.

"Why don't you and Sasuke try to find something fun to do tomorrow?" Naruto grinned, letting his lover go and proceeding to his room to change. Hinata fell back onto the chair and heard the smooth textile slip down Naruto's form and land softly onto the floor. "You could try to get him a job," he grinned, "That'll keep him busy _and_ you won't have to chase him around Konoha."

Hinata thought this over. Yes, she could indeed try to get a job for her love's friend. That would certainly prevent her from depleting her chakra everyday for two months. She silently wondered what Sasuke could possibly be good at, other than shinobi-related activities. "What do you think he'll be mildly good at?"

Naruto emerged from his room, wearing a comfortable pair of 3/4 pants and carrying a mesh shirt. Hinata's white eyes almost bulged at the sight of his beautiful sculpted pectoral and abdominal muscles, the orbs of mystery and wonder briefly going over the seal on his stomach. She watched as her fiancée put his shirt on.

"Well," Naruto replied, pulling the material down his chest, covering his torso. He grabbed a thin jacket and threw it on. "You could bring Sasuke to the Academy. Maybe he'll be able to teach the kids some stuff."

"He acts like a child." Her tone was pure disbelief, and as if Hinata was born a skeptic, she arched her brows like a veteran.

Naruto laughed, walking toward his sitting love. He used his right hand to mess with her midnight blue hair. "You love children," he reminded her, kneeling so he could be at eye-level with Hinata.

She could have died and gone to heaven — if what she was living in wasn't already heaven — when Naruto's bright blue orbs of idealism and determination bore into her soul. He always seemed to look at her like that; intensely, passionately and as if she were his everything. Hinata wondered if Naruto felt the same when she looked at him.

"Yeah, I do," she admitted. At this Naruto placed his arms on her shoulders, slowly pushing her toward him. He kept a brilliant, radiant grin on his face throughout, and even though it was dark outside to Hinata it seemed as if it were still noon.

"Just for two months," Naruto urged, leaning in toward her. "Two months, then when we get married we'll spend whole weeks together alone. I promise."

With a slight nod of Hinata's, Naruto's smile stretched. With his face a mere inch away from hers, he managed one more sentence before his lips descended on hers.

"I love you," Naruto whispered tenderly, his eyelids slowly shutting as he gently pushed his head forward.


	5. Chapter 4

Rule 4: If you like something, enjoy it.

Sasuke's brows furrowed significantly at the sight before him. His hands stuffed in his pockets, he let out a scowl. "I'm not going."

In front of the Uchiha manor stood Konoha's next Hokage and the former Hyuuga heiress, happily holding each other's hands. Naruto had been waving to his friend manically, ignoring the confused and amused stares of passers-by. Hinata, blissfully caught up with the enthusiasm of her fiancée, failed to even notice anybody around them.

"Yes, you're going, Sasuke," Naruto smirked, "If not Tsunade-baa-chan will do horrible things to you. She told me so herself."

Sasuke arched an eyebrow, standing still at the entrance of his family home. "Oh, really?" he questioned, "Like what?"

"She says she'll strip you of your ninjutsu by infiltrating your house at night, chopping your limbs off your body and setting hunter dogs on you while she straps what's left of you onto a skateboard and pushes you off into the forest."

Sasuke was about to turn around and re-enter his house, but he paused abruptly as the threat registered in his head. He weighed his chances; even in the middle of the night he'd still be able to take down a normal ninja, but the fifth was certainly not the usual shinobi. Besides, if he were to harm her in any way his head would be on the chopping block and he'd permanently be labeled a traitor.

Resigned, Uchiha Sasuke surrendered with an eye roll. With heavy footsteps he walked toward the smiling couple, and Naruto slapped him on the back playfully, before handing his friend over to his fiancée with a cheery goodbye. With his parting salutations, Naruto ran off to the Hokage Tower to begin yet another grueling day of Hokage Training.

"We're going to find you a job!" Hinata proclaimed, trying very hard to appear excited for her charge.

Still, with his response of low mumbling Hinata felt she didn't have much to start out with in the first place. Not wanting to disappoint Naruto, Hinata grabbed Sasuke's wrist and pulled him toward the Academy.

~X~

"_A job_, you say?" Iruka blinked, his eyes wide. Never did he think he would see his stoic former student apply for a job with little children. He slouched in his mobile chair, then his disbelief turned to anticipation. "Sure, Sasuke! Hinata'll show you the ropes. You two can be Class A's teachers for today. We'll see how it works out then."

After saying her thanks, Hinata dragged her companion to the classroom. On the way there, Hinata tried to engage him in a conversation, so that he would be more relaxed when he saw the children. Oh, the cute, adorable, innocent children.

"Do you like children?" she tested, hoping against hope for a positive answer.

Of course, the person Hinata was talking to was after all, Uchiha Sasuke, and so reality came crashing down when he answered with a firm _no_.

As if that weren't enough, Sasuke somehow managed to notice her disappointment, and proceeded to rub it in: "I absolutely _detest_ children. I'd kill them if I could. Did you know, when I was away with Taka once, the only thing that stopped me from committing a massacre was the fact that they were gathered in an open field with their parents watching them. Of course, I could just kill their parents along with them but it would've been too–"

"_Stop_, please," Hinata spluttered, visibly paled and more than shocked. The uncomfortable silence that ensued finally convinced her that Sasuke was a man with a dark sense of humour, especially after he shrugged and indifferently added a cold, aloof; _I was just joking._

Appalled, the Hyuuga was reconsidering her decision to allow Sasuke within a ten-meter radius of her irresistible charges, but by then the pair had already reached the door. Loud screams and joyful shrieks could be heard from within the room, and Sasuke knew he would be entering the classroom with a cringe.

Taking a deep breath, Hinata slid the door open and instantly the children went quiet. They scurried back to their seats as Sasuke and Hinata walked to the teacher's table, and Hinata wrote her and Sasuke's names on the chalkboard with white chalk.

"My name is Hyuuga Hinata, so please call me Hinata-sensei," she smiled warmly at them, and the students grinned back. Sasuke could already read their minds; _this sensei seems nice_, the children appeared to be thinking_, we'll take advantage of her, hell yeah!_

Sasuke felt his lips curl in a smile that suggested pure evil. Next to Hinata, Uchiha Sasuke looked as if he were the devil incarnate, and when Hinata gestured to the man, the children stopped smiling. "This is Uchiha Sasuke," Hinata introduced cheerfully. She paused for a moment, and then whispered to him, "I don't know what to tell them to call you."

The Uchiha shrugged, not really caring for titles. "What're you?"

"A trainee teacher," Hinata answered. She could feel curious gazes on her back. "Hey," she blinked, as if she'd suddenly gotten an epiphany. "Why not call you an 'Assistant to a Semi-trained Schoolteacher'?"

Sasuke thought this over, but scowled as he rebutted, "Did you do that on purpose? The acronym of that stupid title is '_ASS_'."

Hinata went pink. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that." Embarrassed, she turned to her students and quickly told them to just call Sasuke '_Sasuke-sensei'_.

~X~

It was noon, and already Sasuke had caused enough trouble for Hinata to suffer a headache. Sitting at the dango shop for lunch, Sasuke sipped his tea slowly. Opposite him was an irritated Hinata, who was massaging her temples and had been doing so for quite a while now. She glared straight at him, her white eyes harsh and vengeful.

Sasuke cleared his throat, uneasy. "Look," he started, placing his cup down onto the table. "If you want an apology, you aren't getting one."

The Hyuuga recoiled, frustrated. "You almost roasted the Academy," she said heatedly.

"I was provoked," Sasuke defended, losing interest in the dango in front of him.

"The child only asked you why your eyes were so weird!"

"And why my skin is so smooth! And why I looked angry! And if I am a female or a male!" the Uchiha refuted, his volume rising. "He had no respect for me!"

"He's only 6 years old, Sasuke," her tone was gravelly and strained – the only thing keeping her from strangling the man in front of her was Naruto, and even then Hinata had to constantly picture him in her mind.

Sasuke dismissed the prospect of age with a scoff and a wave of his hand. "Well, when _I_ was 6, _I_ didn't–"

"Okay," Hinata interrupted, resting her throbbing head on her palms. "Let's not talk about the children. What about the pet shop? You almost electrocuted those mockingbirds and kingbirds on display."

"In my defense I think it was a little stupid of you to bring me to a pet shop," Sasuke told her, but proceeded to explain when he caught her murderous intent. "You can't blame me! Mockingbirds and kingbirds sometimes attack hawks! And sometimes they attack snakes too!" At Hinata's look of utter disbelief Sasuke amended his explanation, "Alright, mockingbirds and kingbirds don't attack snakes, but other birds do!"

Hinata slapped her forehead, wondering how on earth she convinced herself Uchiha Sasuke was capable of holding a job. "Never mind," she seethed, not bothering with any more poor excuses. She took a stick of dango and popped them into her mouth, chewing slowly.

"Where're we going now?" Sasuke prodded gently, a little ashamed at his pathetically girly behaviour yet too proud to admit it.

Hinata drank a little of her green tea, and she felt some pain subside. "The clerk division of the library," she replied, before sighing and going back to groaning while rubbing the sides of her head.

Sasuke reached into his pocket and pulled out a packet of pills, black in colour and most probably tasteless. He proffered it to her, timid and shy. "If your head still aches," he murmured, barely audible for Hinata to hear. "You should take these. I take them every time Naruto starts ranting about the Fifth, and they're really effective."

The female Hyuuga glanced furtively at the pack, and graciously shot him a weak smile before accepting it. "Thank you," she exhaled, clutching the pills with her elegant hands.

~X~

Naruto opened his front door with apprehension, wondering if Hinata had been successful in her day's endeavors. The future Hokage also pondered over the possibility of his fiancée having lost her mind.

He dismissed the thought with a shrug, and once he entered the house Naruto knew his fears were unfounded. The delightful aroma of food sizzling away in the kitchen permeated through the air and went into his system, making his mouth water with anticipation. Sure, the Ichiraku Ramen they had eaten the night before was, as usual, absolutely heavenly, but Hinata's cooking was always to die for.

He found her in the kitchen, standing over a sizzling pan that sang the song of scrumptious fare cooking. With a swift motion Naruto wrapped his arms around her waist, eliciting a gasp from her lips. She smiled, and turned around slowly.

"Welcome back," she greeted. "I'm making red bean soup and bento." Ah, so that was where the fantastically delectable scent came from. Naruto loved his red bean soup ten times more than the next person.

"You're beautiful as always," he chuckled in reply, delivering a quick peck on his wife's cheek before dissolving his embrace. Hinata felt some heat rush to her face as her ears gobbled down his following words, "I love you."

"I love you too." It came out as a soft whisper, precious and delicate like the speaker.

Naruto beamed. "And since you're in a relatively good mood," he prompted, "I'm guessing you and Sasuke did something fun today?"

Hinata thought this over. She turned the gas off, tipping the contents of her pan onto a plate. Naruto almost turned as green as the vegetables — he absolutely detested plants, digestible or not. "He almost slow-baked the Academy because one child asked him why his eyes were red—"

"He was using his Sharingan?" Naruto interrupted, worry clear in his tone. The future Hokage didn't know if he was concerned for his friend, the students, his wife, or all three options, but he did know it was strange for his friend to suddenly activate his bloodline.

So he relaxed somewhat when his fiancée rolled her white eyes. Naruto always found her eye rolls adorable.

"They were having a little quiz and Sasuke said he'd use his Sharingan to make sure they wouldn't cheat," Hinata explained, irritation clear in her voice. It seemed all the emotions in the moment came flooding back to her as she recalled it. "He said he'd trapped them in a genjutsu to fool them of their surroundings."

Naruto laughed this time, proceeding to his room to shower. He took his upper apparel off, placing it into his laundry basket. "What else did you and Sasuke do?"

"Well, I brought him to the pet shop after that, deciding we'd look for a job like you said." Naruto heard his fiancée look for some bowls and utensils.

"You brought him to a _pet shop_?" his tone was pure incredulity, the powerful Uzumaki disbelieving his hearing.

"That's what he said too, after he almost electrocuted two birds on display."

Roaring with laughter, Naruto grabbed his towel from his drying rack, hanging it instead in his bathroom for easy access. "So what job does Sasuke have now?"

Hinata brought the two bowls of bento onto the dining table, followed by the two bowls of red bean soup; she had insisted that Naruto not hire any helpers – only till after they had their first child would Hinata pamper herself. She had said she wanted to try to be independent, and Naruto swelled with pride as he heard that. "He's a clerk with the library now. I've decided to stay there and make sure he doesn't blow our records up."

The future Hokage managed another snicker at his friend's expense before hopping into the shower, chuckling to himself all the way.

When he did emerge from his room – cleaned, clothed, and smelling like zesty oranges – Naruto saw his fiancée sitting serenely on a dining chair, looking contentedly at his frame as he drifted closer to her. As he went to his own chair, the blond man swooped down and brushed his lips against her neck playfully, having the pleasure of seeing Hinata jump with pleasant surprise. The smell of the soup wafted into his nostrils, and his mouth watered. "Are you happy, Hinata?" Naruto asked, his brilliant blue eyes moving from the wondrous bowl of soup to the visage of his fiancée.

Hinata smiled, gesturing for him to start eating to his content. "More than I ever have been," she assured, and as Naruto started wolfing down his dinner with the passion of a sumo wrestler, the Hyuuga couldn't help but wonder if she could possibly _ever_ be any happier.


	6. Chapter 5

Rule #5: _Facing the truth is the first step to happiness._

"You've been awfully happy and good recently," Hinata teased, settling her cup of hot tea onto the large table. Sasuke sat there, poring over large scrolls with huge information. He looked up from his twentieth scroll of the day, and caught her eye with a small smirk.

"That's because I'm still a traitor and am currently trying my best to gain insider information about Konohagakure to stage another massive invasion," he answered, his expression still rather unchanged and deadpan.

Hinata sat down opposite him, resting her chin on her palm and sipping her tea slowly. "Naruto will be so disappointed," she sighed, feigning dissatisfaction. At Sasuke's low chuckle, the fake frown on her forehead deepened. "Seriously?" she questioned, leaning closer to look at him more meticulously. "Because if you are, I'd have to kill you."

Sasuke scoffed at this, taking his black, thick-rimmed spectacles off his nose. With one swift motion he took his tea and drank half of it. "As _if _you could kill me," he swallowed, and Hinata withdrew. "I want to get off Naruto's stupid probation list ASAP."

"To do your duty to Konohagakure and complete as many missions as possible so as to increase Konoha's revenue?"

Sasuke blinked at her innocence, and then he burst out laughing. "No," he refuted, making a face at his lukewarm beverage as he set it back down onto the table, placing it at a safe distance from his scroll. Rubbing his deep onyx eyes, the Uchiha cracked a smile. "So that I can hurry up and be free from all this useless observation."

Hinata cast him a slightly irritated look, "I'm only doing this for Naruto, you know." But the annoyance in her tone evaporated after two seconds, and Hinata admitted, "Still, I guess you aren't _that_ bad after all."

Again he scoffed. "Not that bad?" Sasuke reiterated, replacing the spectacles back onto the bridge of his nose. "I've had fan girls ever since I was _three_."

Hinata threw the man a cynical grimace. "Then obviously, you were a very introverted child," she stated, "Now stop chatting and hurry up with the archiving, or I'll get Shiho-san to terminate you as an employee."

"You'll have to find me another job, then."

At Sasuke's wit Hyuuga Hinata smiled; her eyes closed and her lips curved, and as he incidentally looked up he felt something stop in his chest.

For a moment he wondered if the woman in front of him was using some kind of freaky, top-secret truth-telling jutsu. Yet as he paused for a few moments, awaiting her reaction, Uchiha Sasuke felt her eyes on him, and it triggered that feeling again.

He pondered her words; _You've been awfully happy_. That was impossible ― ever since he was put on probation Sasuke detested every single day where he had to wake up and endure another 24 hours of restraint. It wasn't as though he was vengeful and still hell bent on decimating his village; rather, he longed for some action.

But had he been happy recently? Apart from the daily surveillance by Hinata ― and Sasuke knew there were nameless, faceless ANBU patrolling his house at night ― Naruto was the only significant person he had contact with, and even though Sasuke had to admit that in his friend's presence he did feel a little relaxed, it was no where near the emotion of _happy_. Yet, as he thought briefly about it, Uchiha Sasuke realised he never really did feel true happiness. He had been ecstatic when his father praised him, but that was merely pride.

So what constituted happiness?

Sasuke didn't realise he had said that out loud till Hinata replied, with a strange tone of wonder, "Happiness?" She tilted her head upwards and looked to the high ceiling. "I suppose… when you feel like you want to go through something again, and your head feels all light and you're just thinking that you haven't got any troubles in that moment."

"Isn't that disillusionment?" Sasuke retorted, doubtful.

Hinata's lower lip started to pout as she thought harder. "Some people think that way," she answered, "but happiness can't really be _defined_, Sasuke. It's an _emotion_; you have to feel it."

The man stopped writing in the archiving book, carefully raising his head. In a soft tone, Sasuke questioned, "Are _you_ happy?"

The woman in front of him caught his eye, and replied with a grin that sent shockwaves through his body, "Naruto's made me the happiest kunoichi alive."

Sasuke _almost_ smiled, he was almost that happy for his friend. But that was where the line had been drawn – there is always a stark difference between being happy for someone else, and being happy for yourself. "I see," he murmured quietly, wondering to himself what that uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach was. All of a sudden he felt sick; his chest was hurting and his eyes were stinging. "Good for you."

Hinata nodded appreciatively and then suggested, "Perhaps you need a special someone too. _Everyone_ needs a special someone."

The Uchiha forced a twitchy smile as he jerked his chair backwards. Suffocated – that was how he was feeling. Sasuke bit his lip, sensing the four walls of the Archiving Room going in closer and closer, slowly crushing his heart to oblivion. With a well-concealed sigh Sasuke got to his feet, aiming to refill his inkbottle even though it was only half full – or half empty, however you thought about it. The wooden furniture made a scratching kind of noise as it was dragged across the floor, and Sasuke cringed.

"Oh," Hinata said as she also got to her feet. She walked quickly to her charge, trying to help him.

Sasuke turned around as he heard her voice, but while he stopped his feet, she continued, and they crashed into each other before Hinata could stop herself. The Uchiha tried to deflect the permanent ink from dripping onto her, but alas Sasuke dropped the entire bottle, and the contents simply obeyed gravity. Before he knew what was going on, the container met the floor, and it shattered into thick pieces of glass, splaying throughout the wooden floor.

"Oh, my God," he cursed under his breath, relatively stunned. "Are you alright?"

The Hyuuga took a few moments to process the situation. With a quick glance, she noticed black ink had splattered across her lavender jacket, and that large shards lay on the floor. Hinata managed a surprised _It's okay_, then she bent down to pick the dangerous glass up.

Sasuke ducked milliseconds later, so after they nearly knocked heads, they also brushed hands when they reached to pick the shard in the middle of them. At his touch, Hinata's blood ran cold. She slowly lifted her head, her doe eyes peeking up at the shinobi squatting in front of her. Sasuke stared – he stared and stared, his eyes fixated on her hand. They were still touching.

The Uchiha heard some kind of a strangled cough, and when his onyx orbs looked to the source, he saw Hinata – looking very confused, extremely shocked, and even a little offended. Sasuke noticed the light pink tint that colored her otherwise pale visage, and how silky smooth her white fingers felt at his touch.

Once they established eye contact, the woman recoiled instantly, retracting her sacred hand and tucking it safely between her body and her bent knees, legs huddled together. Hinata's voice came out dry, raspy and utterly conflicted. "Did you just…"

Sasuke frowned, but not because he was angry with her. "Don't go," he called out to her, because Hinata had stood up and was walking abnormally quickly toward the door. "I can explain."

Her back had initially been facing him, and even beneath the thick jacket the Uchiha saw she was shaking. Her head turned a fraction in his direction, the luscious rich midnight tresses shifting with the movement. Sasuke saw a thin film of moisture clouding her pure white pearls, and a little of it gathering at the bottom of her eyelid, limpid pools of what he guessed was salty water. A deep sigh escaped his lips, "Please don't cry." Sasuke mumbled softly. He absolutely hated it when girls cried.

"Then explain." The words came out nasal, trembling and by the second syllable her voice cracked. "You _touched_ me," the next sentence was more of a gentle accusation, barely audible.

Sasuke huffed. "What you said earlier about happiness–"

"Forget it, I don't want to hear it," the Hyuuga interrupted frantically, pulling the knob with such force that it swung open and slammed against the wall. As Sasuke opened his mouth to try and stop her from running away, she ran into the hallway, and disappeared at a corner.

The Uchiha spent a few minutes swallowing and blinking. And then, like a broken man, he bent down slowly to clean the ink and dispose of the large shards of dangerous glass.

But whenever he picked up a piece, he cut himself. Uchiha Sasuke kept slipping the material through his fingers, and by the time it dropped into a cardboard box, the shattered piece was red and slippery. As he felt each cut grow deeper and deeper, Sasuke started throwing the glass around the Archiving Room, mussing his duck-butt hair and smearing his own blood over his forehead as he rubbed and rubbed his face.

_Happiness_, he thought silently to himself, feeling indignant fire rise in his stomach, _feels like shit._


	7. Chapter 6

Rule #6: Happiness is making the right decisions.

It took a month.

Just a month, for her to adjust to him and — _gasp_ — even start thinking of him as a rather misunderstood soul. Hinata even started feeling some sort of pity for him; seemingly abandoned by his beloved brother at the tender age of 7, then betrayed by his own actions when he killed his precious kin in cold blood. She had seen him as some sort of comrade, in a way Hinata knew she might have become like Sasuke if she had a bolder personality. She knew Neji might have become like him.

But as she hugged her knees and swayed to herself in the pitch darkness of her room, all of what appeared to be friendship dissipated. With the curtains drawn and the electrical appliances off, every bit of light was prevented entry into the four walls of Hinata's space, and all she could feel was the wetness of her cheeks as tear after tear rolled relentlessly down her hot face.

_Damn him_, she thought to herself, her anger rising and rising. _He_ touched _me_, she reminded herself, staring at her hand. For a brief moment she had wanted to rinse her hand with acid, to cut it off, but after a while the Hyuuga saw through the stupidity of what could have been her actions, and instead took to gently hitting her wall.

She was angry — infuriated, enraged, furious — but not at Sasuke. Hinata was upset with herself.

When he touched her... She felt something. It was sharp and painful and it struck her right in her heart, so when Hinata reacted she reacted with rare impulsivity. After running home the girl had started to realise; She had felt that way ever since a week ago, but back then it was dull and no where near as strong as it was when his skin brushed against hers.

And it stayed there.

Uchiha Sasuke allowed his hand to remain on hers, and he probably would have felt some more if she hadn't broke the silence. Hinata threw herself backwards, landing face-up on her mattress. The tears made her eyes sting.

_What have I done..._ The incident stuck in her head, that feeling lingering in her chest, making her sick.

_She liked it._

A small part of her knew that she had liked the touch of his slender fingers, the smooth skin that wrapped around his palm and didn't seem to have any scars or blemishes. It ignited some kind of fire in her, and it left her thirsty for more. Hinata wanted him to touch her again.

Yet, she couldn't for the world betray Naruto — the gentle girl wouldn't have let Sasuke go, but she needed to because of the man she had already been engaged to. _I love Naruto_, Hinata chanted to herself, as if it would convince her otherwise. _I love Naruto. I_ live _for Naruto. I am more than happy with Naruto._

And on the heels of that: _I am also happy in the presence of Uchiha Sasuke._

Yes, it was true — for the past month she spent in the company of the onyx-eyed, purse-lipped anti-social ex-Avenger, Hyuuga Hinata did indeed feel somewhat content. But that feeling had always been dull and it didn't make her think so much, not as much as this. Now, that touch... It changed everything.

No, she couldn't. She couldn't — wouldn't — turn her back on her blond, hyperactively wonderful fiancée. She loved him too much.

Hinata's tears turned to soft hiccups as she calmed down. What could she do? What would be right? She _felt something_. Something. And as much as she would have loved to, she just couldn't forget it. Now her heart ached, and whether it was for Naruto or for him, Hyuuga Hinata didn't know anymore.

~X~

"I'm home," bright and cheery and airy – that was what Naruto sounded like as he fitted the key into the lock and pushed the front door open. In his hands were plastic bags containing the groceries Hinata had told him to get from the store. He almost danced into the house, and even when Hinata's tear-stained face came out to greet him, his happiness didn't fade.

His smile did, though. "Hinata!" he said, running to his fiancée and dropping the bags in the process. The future Hokage wrapped his arms around her crouching body, worried. "What's wrong?"

She managed a few incoherent sentences, before Naruto shook his head and lead her to a chair. "You'll have to tell us during dinner," he said softly, rubbing her back as she shuddered with emotion.

At his words, Hinata looked up, sniffing. "_Us_?" she echoed.

Her love grinned. "Yep," he proclaimed proudly, "Sasuke's finally decided to acknowledge how awesome I am! He asked to stay with us for a while!"

~X~

The Hyuuga entered the guest room slowly. With her face washed and her brow furrowing in consternation over a pair of tired, weary and extremely confused white eyes, Hinata walked in with her arms crossed and her character cold. "How dare you," she started, standing by the open door so as to make a quick escape the moment she saw it fit to do so. The sound of running water filled the house as Naruto took his shower.

"We need to talk," Sasuke replied, stacking his things in the closet. The Uchiha sighed as he sat on the bed, his hands clasped together in a praying motion.

"There's nothing to talk about," Hinata rebutted, distant. There was fear in her shaky, high-pitched voice, however, and Sasuke's head snapped up at her statement.

"You," he breathed, incredulous, "You _felt something_ too." It came out as an accusation, and his visage contorted to one of harsh misunderstanding, "You felt–"

"I didn't feel _anything_," Hinata countered quickly, not paying attention to how desperate and weak she sounded. She felt her eyes getting wet, and her nose start to run. "_Nothing._"

Sasuke got up from the furniture, and as he stepped towards the woman in his room she recoiled. "Hinata…"

"Stay _away_ from me," she told him, walking backwards into the hallway. "I was happy before you came in and messed up my life," she stated, her torso turning.

"I was the happiest person alive," she managed through her free-flowing tears and choked emotions, and she broke into a run.


	8. Chapter 7

Rule #7: Happiness is always complicated.

7 days passed like that.

One month to what would have been a picture-perfect wedding, Hinata found herself doubting her love. But what bugged her most was that she didn't know if she was questioning her affections for Naruto... _Or for him_.

Three weeks to his getting off probation, Sasuke found himself alone and deeply conflicted. This wasn't what he'd imagined when he returned to Konoha; for some strange reason the Uchiha thought he'd still have Sakura, he'd still have Ino, he'd still have his cult-like fan club kissing the ground he walked on. But he supposed he should have known it would have all disintegrated the moment war was declared so many months ago. Now all he had was Naruto, and _her_.

"_Hinata!_"

The gloriously happy voice unique to her fiancée inadvertently snapped her out of her reverie, and she opened her bedroom door. In front of her stood Naruto, grinning his best smile, and at a slight upward curve on her lips he told her, "Hanabi's coming over for dinner tonight."

Hinata tilted her head sideways by a bit. "Tonight?" she echoed, surprised at her sister's sudden gesture. It wasn't as though they were on bad terms — in fact, the sisters were pretty tight — but with Hinata finally formally giving up her birthright, Hanabi had had to undergo lots of heiress training, and this left her busier than ever. Still, Hanabi had assured her she was happy, and this was enough to keep Hinata from feeling guilty.

Naruto nodded in confirmation, and then, with a low playful chuckle, swept Hinata into his arms bridal style and carried her into her room. She yelped feebly, but other than turn bright red, did else to stop him. Normally she would have giggled, but the Hokage-in-training was too busy rubbing her pearl cheek with his thumb, too busy planting quick kisses on her neck to notice.

"Naruto," Hinata gasped as she felt his lips land on her warm skin. "I love you. I love you, so much. I love you." She said it so many more times than necessary, as if it were a mantra and she was trying to convince herself into believing it. But Hinata was right; she did love Naruto. The thing was —and it ate away at her consciousness constantly because it was always at the back of her mind — _did she love Uchiha Sasuke more?_

~X~

"That, Onee-san," Hanabi proclaimed as she stretched in the chair, smiling as she felt her muscles tense. "Was amazing. How'd you get so good at cooking? Father would have never let you in the kitchen."

Hinata beamed at her sister, her radiance exuding from her visage. She gathered the plates and headed to the adjoining kitchen. "Father didn't let me in, but Kurenai-sensei taught me that as a woman, I'll need to cook and care for my teammates..." Here she glanced at her satisfied husband, who was talking rather animatedly to a gloomy Sasuke. "And one day my husband," she added, a light tint of pink staining her pearl white cheeks.

Hanabi thought she'd heard a really low growl next to her, but when she turned around quickly to deck the nosy Inuzuka and his mutt, all she saw was her future brother-in-law's brooding friend. The younger Hyuuga briefly scanned through the information she knew about the Uchiha; after the war he'd came back, and despite many protests—both peaceful and rather violent—all had been graciously forgiven.

But the village bore too many scars of the war wrought on by the Uchiha blood, and in the hearts of most civilians Uchiha Sasuke and the Uchiha name would forever hold the same negative connotations as the Kyuubi. For a brief moment Hanabi wondered if Naruto brought his friend back in order to show him his pain as a neglected child, scorned by all the villagers. She wondered if Naruto brought Sasuke back for revenge.

"What're you staring at?" the low grunt knocked Hanabi off her train of thought, and she jerked her head upward before looking away from the pair hurriedly. Sasuke had said it to her, but his eyes were somewhere else...

Hanabi heard the rush of water from the tap, and twisted her torso to see her sister bending forward and taking care of the dishes. Her pearlescent eyes darted from the intimidating Uchiha to her docile sibling more than a few times, the gears in her head moving. The way the filthy traitor gazed at her... It was piercing and intrusive and above all, extremely passionate.

Upon this realization she blinked. Hanabi had her head tilted somewhat as she followed Sasuke's sight path, her eyes landing... _On her sister's butt._

Unsure about whether this was just a mistake on her part—she'd have to hone her ability to follow someone's train of sight—Hanabi struggled to push this new knowledge to the back of her head. Yet she continued to eye the Uchiha suspiciously, and it was only after a few moments that he cut off his stare and faced the youngest person in his presence, his brows together in consternation over a pair of harsh onyx eyes.

"What's your problem?" he questioned the girl, seething. For a second Hanabi could have sworn she saw a part of his left eye swirl into crimson, but it promptly regained its original colour. Naruto turned to look at Hanabi, his expression clueless. "You've been looking at me for a while now," the Uchiha mentioned heatedly. "What do you want?"

Hanabi shrugged indifferently, not quite trusting her words. It's not like she could have said, Oh, I don't know. Perhaps you'd like to explain to me and Naruto about why you were staring at my sister's ass like how a pedophile watches a glitz beauty pageant.

So she dismissed Sasuke with an apathetic wave, mumbling, "Your face irks me, is all," as she got out of her chair and headed toward her sister. Sasuke was about to yell profanities, but decided against it as the infernal imp inched toward the woman he'd been staring at for the past hour. Her hair's really long and pretty, he thought to himself absent-mindedly, his anger forgotten.

"Onee-san," the younger Hyuuga said as she stood by Hinata. The latter had dishwater up to her arms as she scrubbed away with a sponge and a pair of hideous rubber yellow gloves. Hinata's head jerked up, flashing Hanabi a small smile.

"You and I need to talk," Hanabi stated. And then, with the quick pull, said Hyuuga grabbed her sister's arms out of the intentionally flooded sink and flung the gloves at Naruto, smacking him square in the face. She muttered words of apology before telling him to man up and do the dishes for tonight. Her brief conversation with Naruto ended, Hanabi pushed Hinata into the latter's room and shut the door, leaving behind a rather stunned future Hokage.

"Idiot," Sasuke spoke as a minute of astonished silence passed by. "You just got owned by Hinata's little sister."

There was a sense of comedy and playfulness in his speech, but while his blond hyperactive friend had his surprise evaporated, Sasuke realised he couldn't bring himself to say it. He still couldn't bear to speak of her as his fiancée.

~X~

Hanabi closed the wooden door with a soft click, and locked it for good measure. "Now," she grinned slyly, leaning against the only reasonable exit and entrance to the room. "Spill."

Her older sister merely looked at Hanabi strangely. "Spill?" she echoed, visibly perturbed. "Spill what?" Hinata's smile had completely disappeared and she sat herself down onto the duvet of her bed, somehow knowing that this would not be an easy talk, and that she would have no way of escape so long as her sister was still breathing.

Hanabi answered her sister's attempt at innocence with a cynical eye roll. Her grip on the locked handle tightened. "I know about him and his feelings, that despicable piece of dirt," she proclaimed triumphantly, as if she now had some kind of power over her. "And since he's Naruto's best friend, I'd say you know too."

Hinata felt her sister's eyes on her as she fidgeted in her position, inwardly distressed. Was it that obvious? She really needed to talk to him... And if she weren't such a damn coward she would have. "I'm happy with Naruto, Hanabi," Hinata finally replied, not noticing how her eyes looked at her lap or how she seemed to be chewing her lip as she said so. Subconsciously her fingers drew together, and suddenly she was twelve again; poking her forefingers like a weak idiot. "_Very_ happy."

Her younger sister took a minute to process the words that reached her ears. The fact that her sister was biting her lower lip, emphasizing unnecessary points and didn't seem to be able to look at her in the eye would mean,

a) She was lying.

b) She was telling half of the truth.

c) She harbored some kind of morbid affections for the Uchiha.

Hanabi took a few minutes of uncomfortable silence to digest this fully, her mouth opening and closing like a guppy. "You," she croaked, her throat suddenly dry, "Like the Uchiha, don't you, Onee-san?" She walked cautiously away from the locked door, as if the next thing Hinata would say was that she was actually a man.

Alarm in her wide seas of white, Hinata backed up against the wall. "I-I…"

Hanabi frowned, her eyes teasing yet serious at the same time. She was about to say something, but decided against it. Instead, the younger Hyuuga went up to Hinata and sat next to her, her mischief all but gone. She wore a small sad smile on her face as she sighed knowingly.

"You're my Onee-san," Hanabi closed her eyes, her head leaning against the wall. "So I won't sell you out. I guess I'll respect your feelings, and I'll respect your decisions and so I'll respect your actions." She turned to give her sister a more decisive grin. "Do your best to get out of this, Onee-san. You have my full support!"

Hinata blinked once. And then she blinked again. After that she did so once more for good measure. Finally she broke out into one of her genuine smiles, one that shone from the inside out and never failed to enhance her outward beauty. She placed a hand on her sister's brown head and mussed her hair up.

"You've always been so much more matured than others your age, Hanabi," Hinata chuckled, "I've always admired that part of you."


End file.
